The Chilean Football Federation (FFCh) seized Fifa on Thursday, May 5, to challenge the validity of the Ecuadorian nationality of player Byron Castillo. The latter was aligned against Chile (victory of Ecuador 2-0), in November, during the qualifications for the 2022 World Cup (November 21-December 18).
With this appeal, Chile hopes that Ecuador will be sanctioned and that it will be able to compete in the World Cup in its place. Chile finished seventh in the South America zone and are therefore eliminated from the World Cup in Qatar, while Ecuador, fourth behind Uruguay (3rd), Argentina (2nd) and Brazil (1st) , is qualified.
The complaint was filed for “use of a falsified birth certificate, false declaration of age and false nationality” by Byron Castillo. According to the Chilean Federation, “there is countless evidence that the player was born in Colombia, in the city of Tumaco on July 25, 1995 and not on November 10, 1998 in the Ecuadorian city of Playas”.
“The world of football cannot turn a blind eye to so much evidence,” writes the Chilean federation in its press release (in Spanish). “The practice of serious and intentional irregularities in the registration of players cannot be accepted, especially when it comes to a world competition. Fair play must be on and off the pitch”.
According to the same source“the investigations carried out in Ecuador, including a report by the National Office of Civil Status, the highest authority in the matter in this country, revealed the existence of inconsistencies in the birth certificate presented by the player”.
“A commission of inquiry from the Ecuadorian Football Federation, aimed at clarifying the irregularities in the players’ files, concluded that the player was Colombian”, it is claimed.
In the Amsud group, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Ecuador have qualified directly for the 2022 World Cup. Peru, fifth, will have to play a repechage.